Gumbo is a Creole food with as many varieties as there are Creole people. It is wonderful year round but since it is a type of soup, cool weather is usually when it is served. Restaurants in Louisiana and Southeast Texas serve it year around as a soup course.

Gumbo is traditionally served with okra in it but can be omitted. 1 bell pepper 1 recipe brown roux 1 tsp. red pepper flakes Salt to taste 4 qt. water 4 cloves garlic 2 stalks celery 1 cooked deboned chicken 1 c. cooked okra (optional) Black pepper to taste

Cook chicken in 4 quarts water with diced onion, garlic, celery, bell pepper, red pepper, salt and black pepper. When chicken is cooked, remove from water and debone. Return meat to water, bring to a boil.

While waiting for water to boil, make roux. Add roux to boiling water. Simmer on low heat for 1 hour. If okra is to be used, use fresh sliced that you have cooked until tender or sliced frozen cooked same fashion. Add okra to gumbo, stir well and immediately remove from heat and serve.

Serve gumbo over rice in a bowl, sprinkle with file (buy in gourmet deli or section of grocery store). File is a powdered herb used for flavoring, it is not hot. Traditionally it is ground sassafras leaves or a combination of ground sassafras and ground thyme.

File is sprinkled to taste on the individual bowls of gumbo. Serves 8 as a main dish.